WWE WrestleMania 2019 Matches with Biggest Historic Implications
WWE WrestleMania is an annual breeding ground for history.
The greatest moments in sports entertainment have taken place under the bright lights of The Showcase of the Immortals. The most iconic Superstars have left fans in awe of their athleticism and storytelling ability. The most unforgettable stories have culminated in exercises of raw emotion.
And the history books have consistently been rewritten, expanded and amended.
That will once again be the case Sunday night thanks to a handful of matches with considerable historical significance, including what may be the final match in the Hall of Fame-worthy career of WWE's COO and the coronation of the first two-title champion to preside over the company's women's division.
Dive deeper into those matches and take a look at some of the other hidden significant facts that surround the marquee matches at Sunday's spectacular.
WWE Championship Match: Kofi Kingston vs. Daniel Bryan
1 of 5
Only two African American Superstars have captured the WWE, Universal or World Heavyweight Championship in the history of Vince McMahon's sports entertainment empire: Booker T and Mark Henry.
Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey, Kofi Kingston could join that illustrious list by defeating Daniel Bryan and becoming the WWE champion.
Like Booker and Henry, who captured lightning in a bottle with memorable gimmicks and performances, Kingston has built momentum for himself in 2019 through unforgettable showings in gauntlet matches and the Elimination Chamber. The connection he has established with fans is undeniable.
WrestleMania should be his crowning achievement.
If it is not, Bryan can make a bit of history in his own right.
A successful title defense on wrestling's grandest stage would see Bryan join Yokozuna (1994), Triple H (2000 and 2003), Randy Orton (2008), Chris Jericho (2010), The Miz (2011) and Brock Lesnar (2018) as the only heels in WrestleMania's 35-year history to retain a world title.
A Bryan victory would seemingly negate weeks of preparation for Kingston's big moment, making his path to history significantly less likely, though WWE has never shied away from delivering a finish that infuriates its fanbase.
Winner Takes All: Becky Lynch vs. Ronda Rousey vs. Charlotte Flair
2 of 5
For the first time in more than three decades of WrestleMania action, women will main-event The Showcase of the Immortals when Becky Lynch, SmackDown women's champion Charlotte Flair and Raw women's champion Ronda Rousey battle in a Triple Threat Winner Takes All match Sunday.
Lynch, the heavy fan favorite to leave East Rutherford with both titles, will become the first Irish-born competitor to compete in the last match at WrestleMania. Other notable Irish Superstars to compete at the show but not in the marquee bout include Velvet McIntyre (1986), Finlay (2006-09), Sheamus (2010-present) and Finn Balor (2018-present).
Flair will do something her father, Ric Flair, never did by headlining wrestling's most prestigious night and, furthermore, will seek to become the first woman leave WrestleMania with gold for the third time.
Rousey will become the first Superstar to complete their first year in the business with a WrestleMania main event. Not even the great Kurt Angle can claim that.
For the first time in WrestleMania history, both of WWE's women's titles are up for grabs in a single match. One woman will leave with both championships, wrapping up a history-heavy match.
The contest may also end up on the wrong side of history should anyone but Lynch emerge victorious after eight months of building to her coronation as The Man in WWE.
Triple H vs. Batista
3 of 5
Triple H and Batista will meet at WrestleMania in a No Holds Barred match, marking the second time the former mentor and protege will square off at The Show of Shows.
There are 10 other matchups that have taken to the squared circle twice at 'Mania*:
- Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant (1987, 1988)
- Bret Hart vs. Yokozuna (1993, 1994)
- The Undertaker vs. Kane (1998, 2004)
- The Rock vs. Steve Austin (1999, 2001, 2003)
- The Hardy Boys vs. Edge & Christian vs. The Dudley Boys (2000, 2001)
- Triple H vs. The Undertaker (2001, 2011, 2012)
- Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar (2004, 2017)
- Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker (2009, 2010)
- The Rock vs. John Cena (2012, 2013)
- Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar (2015, 2018)
Their WrestleMania 21 match catapulted Batista to the top of the industry and made him a household name among wrestling fans. From there, he would go on a five-year run as one of the faces of WWE. Disenfranchised with the company and seeking a career in Hollywood, he left the company in 2010 and went on to star in Marvel Studios' Guardians of the Galaxy franchise.
Sunday night, he is set to compete against Triple H in a match in which The Game's storied career is at stake under a No Holds Barred stipulation.
Triple H is one of the most significant figures in WWE history. His character has been a staple of the product for 24 years, and his influence on the industry is omnipresent. Should he wrestle his final match Sunday, it will leave an enormous hole in terms of star power for the current crop of WWE Superstars to try to fill in the years that follow.
It will not be the first time The King of Kings has wagered everything in a no-rules match.
At WrestleMania XXIX in 2013, Triple H defeated Brock Lesnar in a Street Fight to prolong his iconic career. Can he defeat another Ohio Valley Wrestling alum and keep playing the game?
*Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus not included as their first bout took place on the WrestleMania XXVII pre-show.
Women's Tag Team Championships Match
4 of 5
For the first time ever, the Women's Tag Team Championships will be defended at WrestleMania as titleholders Bayley and Sasha Banks battle the reunited Natalya and Beth Phoenix, the unstoppable Tamina and Nia Jax and The IIconics.
Being the first time the titles have been up for grabs at the event, there is a very real possibility the titles change hands for the first time as well.
Considering Bayley and Banks won the titles at Elimination Chamber in February and so much was made of the hard work and dedication that went into their crowning, one would be hard-pressed to argue it is time for The Boss and Hug Connection to drop the gold.
A predicted win for the champions would mark the second WrestleMania in three years in which Bayley has successfully defended a title she entered the show with. Banks is still seeking her first WrestleMania victory and Nia Jax is challenging for a championship for the second consecutive year.
It also marks the first time the women's division will be showcased in a multi-team match of this sort. While fans have witnessed multi-woman tag matches at WrestleMania, never before have more than two teams clashed in a single match on that stage.
Kurt Angle vs. Baron Corbin
5 of 5
There are probably a ton of Easter Eggs that one could dig up on this one, but in reality, the significance of Kurt Angle's match with Baron Corbin on Sunday is that it marks the end of one of the greatest careers in WWE history.
Not only does Angle have a plethora of championships on his resume and high-profile 'Mania bouts against the likes of Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho, Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio, Randy Orton and Triple H to brag about, but he also did it all in 20-year career that saw him suffer significant injuries, leave WWE and become an industry icon elsewhere.
While many argue that Corbin is not deserving of the opportunity to work with Angle in that spot, there is an emotional storyline there in which the former Raw general manager attempted to humiliate the Olympic gold medalist and put him out to pasture months ago.
Seeking revenge, Angle will channel his badass American hero persona one last time on a stage on which he has delivered some of his finest performances. With the lights shining brighter than at any other time in the year, look for the Pittsburgh native to turn it on and remind the world that when he was at his best, there was no one who could touch him.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
